Ambush Reel 1 (1964)

c. 1964



01:00:04 High angle shot of a clearing in the jungle. A man kneels on the ground and a man in uniform stands behind him (a CT or Communist Terrorist presumably). Camera moves in. Various shots of soldier striking the kneeling man (we don't actually see his hand make contact but we hear the sound of him hitting the man). Another soldier stands nearby and smiles. The kneeling man falls to the ground and is dragged back up again. C/U of his face from high angle, imploring look on his face. Shot of the sun followed by extreme C/U of the man's eyes, beads of sweat on his face and fear in his eyes. Soldier and man speak in foreign language and he is thrown to the ground. Another soldier walks up close to him and we hear the sound of a rifle shot. M/S of group of young children and young women who scatter on hearing the gunshot.



01:01:24 M/S of British soldiers making their way through the jungle. They hear the shot and head towards the sound. Woman runs scared through the jungle. British soldiers lift their guns and then motion the woman to walk towards them. Soldiers discuss the fact that they recognise the woman and that she is "a nice looking bird." One of the soldiers speaks to her in her own language. "Two Terrorists found out we were here" translates the soldier. The soldiers walk through the bush. C/U of a small fire. One of the terrorists carries a burning torch towards one of the village houses. He throws it into the doorway and the house catches fire. British soldiers creep through the jungle. They use sign language to communicate with each other. M/S of the bungalow burning. The soldiers enter the village. They look at the two dead bodies which lie on the ground. Soldiers run through the village checking for terrorists. One of the soldiers searches a hen house. Shot of the CTs walking through the jungle. One of the terrorists smiles.



01:04:40 C/U of two British soldiers smoking. Sequence showing the troop's commander speaking into a field telephone. We see the officer to whom he is speaking - very upper class accent.



01:04:50 He says: 'And don't walk into anything, good luck to you!" M/S of the CTs, one of them bends a branch over to mark their path. C/U of British soldier talking to a young girl in Malaysian. Various shots of British soldiers stalking the CTs through the jungle. Tension filled shots of the Communist Terrorists lying in wait in the jungle and the British soldiers finding the bent branch. The officer is suspicious - he suspects a trap. Various bird and animal noises add to the tension. Shots fire out and one of the British soldiers is wounded. More shots are fired, various shots of the ambush. C/Us of guns being fired, the CTs retreat. The commanding officer is wounded, one of the soldiers bandages his arm. The British soldiers return to the camp, a conversation about who is now in command takes place. Reinforcements to be sent the following day. M/S of makeshift operations room. Plan for sending out more men discussed. C/U of Corporal Maclaran (sp?). C/U of map.



01:11:13 L/S of early morning sky, two helicopters approach the village. Injured officer is carried by stretcher out of a building and into the clearing. The choppers scare some chickens. Choppers hover above the village - a woman and children stand in the wind current created by the helicopter. C/U of injured officer. Man is lowered from chopper on a line. More men and a dog are lowered. C/U of dog having his harness removed. Villagers watch as injured man is lifted into the helicopter. The Senior NCO asks where the replacement officer is and is told that there isn't one. Instructions are given for their next movements. Jokes are made about the dogs - they are sniffer dogs.



01:14:40 Soldiers put on their packs and leave the village. Various shots of the soldiers making their way through the jungle. One of the soldiers strokes one of the dogs. One of the soldiers jokes about the bullets whistling past them. Being asked what they were whistling he replies: "It's Been a Hard Day's Night." Another soldier shouts for them to "...cut out the talking." Various shots of the men making their way through the jungle - through rivers etc.



01:16:28 C/U of the Commanding NCO. A rope is stretched across a river and the men make their way across holding on to the rope. The dogs swim across. Various shots of the men following the dogs who have picked up the scent. One of the soldiers takes the bearing of a ridge ahead. Two soldiers chat and are told off by the Commanding NCO. Soldiers gather, communicating with sign language. The dogs have tracked the Communist Terrorists down.



Story continues on reel 2.
FILM ID:1221.01